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car stereo receiver

C

chipy

Golden Member
hey all,

i just got an ipod and want to upgrade my car's stereo receiver to i can listen to music from my ipod. i've never bought and installed one so i have some questions:

1) how do i find out if the new receiver will fit in my car?

2) how do i find out if the max output from the receiver isn't greater than what the speakers can handle? (if it is, is it OK as long as i don't turn it up too loud?)

3) any additional tips?

i know i can go to best buy or the like and have them do it but i thought this would be a good weekend project for me. thanks!

edit: do yall think this belongs in A/V & home theater?
 
hey evident

i have a Nissan Sentra Spec-V. it's got the stock Rockford Fosgate CD/stereo receiver in it.
 
crutchfield should have all the info. depending on the model of car, you may need an adapter for the dash, and i would recommend a harness that will plug directly into the factory connector if available. best buy likes to cut, twist, and tape, which is not acceptable.
 
Originally posted by: brblx
crutchfield should have all the info. depending on the model of car, you may need an adapter for the dash, and i would recommend a harness that will plug directly into the factory connector if available. best buy likes to cut, twist, and tape, which is not acceptable.
Click to expand...

hey brblx thanks for that info! i checked out crutchfield after CRXican mentioned it and it looks like the way to go. they even had a video. the receiver is a bit more expensive but they include the installation kit so i guess it's worth it. thanks for everyone's help!
 
If the fosgate is a 'premium sound' option (which I suspect it is), it does have external amplifier(s) and you need to get the right harness (the external amplifiers require the harness with RCA's on it afaik). Also, it appears that nissan uses a proprietary antenna plug, make sure you're getting an adapter in the kit.
 
thanks PM650... i already ordered my Sony receiver from Crutchfield so i'll have to keep an eye out for them when it arrives. i've got this thread virtually bookmarked so i'll refer back to it when i try to do the install. thanks again!
 
Crutchfield is great. Their prices are kind of high compared to other places, but they usually include the dash kit and harnesses / adapters for your car if you plugged in your car make, model and year.
 
Originally posted by: chipy
thanks PM650... i already ordered my Sony receiver from Crutchfield so i'll have to keep an eye out for them when it arrives. i've got this thread virtually bookmarked so i'll refer back to it when i try to do the install. thanks again!
Click to expand...

damn man sorry i didnt have alot of time to respond to you at first. I personally am not a fan of sony receivers and everyone else despises their questionable quality head units. i would have steered you towards kenwood pioneer or alpine. those all offer models now that allow ipod integration and usb thumb drive integration, so all you gotta do is load up mp3 files onto a small thumb drive and put it in and enjoy. if the sony you are getting has that too then awesome. i hope it works out wellfor you
 
Originally posted by: brblx
crutchfield should have all the info. depending on the model of car, you may need an adapter for the dash, and i would recommend a harness that will plug directly into the factory connector if available. best buy likes to cut, twist, and tape, which is not acceptable.
Click to expand...

hey guys, long story short, i had to replace my car battery before i could get this project started. anyway, crutchfield sent me some 2 wiring harnesses and says i can either crimp them or solder them. since i don't know how to solder, i'm going the crimping route.

1) i just want to make sure i actually have to do one of those two things (or am i mistaken).

2) also, the wires that i don't use it looks like i'll have to tape them using electrical tape... i just tape the ends right? i don't need to tape them to anything?

thanks guys for all your help... first timer here so i really appreciate it!
 
Originally posted by: chipy
Originally posted by: brblx
crutchfield should have all the info. depending on the model of car, you may need an adapter for the dash, and i would recommend a harness that will plug directly into the factory connector if available. best buy likes to cut, twist, and tape, which is not acceptable.
Click to expand...

hey guys, long story short, i had to replace my car battery before i could get this project started. anyway, crutchfield sent me some 2 wiring harnesses and says i can either crimp them or solder them. since i don't know how to solder, i'm going the crimping route.

1) i just want to make sure i actually have to do one of those two things (or am i mistaken).

2) also, the wires that i don't use it looks like i'll have to tape them using electrical tape... i just tape the ends right? i don't need to tape them to anything?

thanks guys for all your help... first timer here so i really appreciate it!
Click to expand...

use those crimping screws that you can get from lowes, basically you tie the two bare wire together and use a cap and twist them together.

and yeah , electrical tape will work or you can also just use thise screw caps on those as well.
 
Yes, you should crimp them if the harnesses aren't already connected. It may be a good idea to make sure it's the right car harness beforehand, otherwise you'll be wasting your time. Did they send you the car harness with RCAs on it for the built-in amps?
 
Originally posted by: evident
use those crimping screws that you can get from lowes, basically you tie the two bare wire together and use a cap and twist them together.
Click to expand...

NO, do not do that. wire nuts are for solid core (house) wiring, they have no place in a car. they will not bite into stranded wiring, they just cut the strands.



if you don't want to use solder and heat shrink, just use butt connectors. get the ones for your gauge (probably 16-18ga size, the next size up will be a little tight) and put a solid crimp at each end. a generic pair of $10 stripper/crimpers from sears should do fine.
 
Originally posted by: brblx
Originally posted by: evident
use those crimping screws that you can get from lowes, basically you tie the two bare wire together and use a cap and twist them together.
Click to expand...

NO, do not do that. wire nuts are for solid core (house) wiring, they have no place in a car. they will not bite into stranded wiring, they just cut the strands.



if you don't want to use solder and heat shrink, just use butt connectors. get the ones for your gauge (probably 16-18ga size, the next size up will be a little tight) and put a solid crimp at each end. a generic pair of $10 stripper/crimpers from sears should do fine.
Click to expand...

How would you use something like this :
http://www.radioshack.com/prod....jsp?productId=3004022

I got myself a set of these, tried soldering and I was terrible

 
those are butt connectors. easiest way to use them is to strip the end of your wire (exposed wire should be about half as long as the metal part in the middle of the connector), stick it in, crimp that half, then do the same for the other side. i would avoid sticking both pieces of wire in at once and trying to get them with a single crimp, you'll be more likely to leave one end loose.

regular combo crimpers/strippers like this work fine for the job-
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_1...aftsman+wire+strippers

don't crimp too hard or you'll tear the plastic and leave metal exposed. if your connectors are heat shrinkable (like the ones you posted), you'll need a pretty significant heat sources to shrink them. i use a butane soldering iron with a little jet attachment. for a radio, though, they don't have to be shrunk, i'd only worry about it for wires that may be exposed to the elements.
 
Soldering + heat shrink tubing is the way to go, IMO. Not hard to learn, and it's a handy skill to have. Every wiring harness I've ever done has been prepared this way, and I have never had any type of issue.

Doing an entire wiring harness in butt connectors will work, but keep in mind that a full harness includes 11 wires at a minimum (4x +/- speaker leads, switched +12v, constant +12v, ground) plus possibly a few others depending on your configuration. You will end up with a big bundle of chunky butt connectors that you have to stuff behind the dash somehow - some cars barely have room for the head unit, let alone a bunch of extra crap like butt connectors. Plus, the edges of the connectors can get caught on edges or other objects back there, and pull free from the wire if the stereo is pulled out again for any reason. Properly done solder joints take up much less room, are more reliable, and are generally easier to deal with.

As for unused wires, tape each one off individually, and then tape them into the harness so that they are not flopping all over. These should be taped individually so that there is no chance that the bare wire ends will short to each other in the harness.
 
Originally posted by: Black88GTA
Soldering + heat shrink tubing is the way to go, IMO. Not hard to learn, and it's a handy skill to have. Every wiring harness I've ever done has been prepared this way, and I have never had any type of issue.

Doing an entire wiring harness in butt connectors will work, but keep in mind that a full harness includes 11 wires at a minimum (4x +/- speaker leads, switched +12v, constant +12v, ground) plus possibly a few others depending on your configuration. You will end up with a big bundle of chunky butt connectors that you have to stuff behind the dash somehow - some cars barely have room for the head unit, let alone a bunch of extra crap like butt connectors. Plus, the edges of the connectors can get caught on edges or other objects back there, and pull free from the wire if the stereo is pulled out again for any reason. Properly done solder joints take up much less room, are more reliable, and are generally easier to deal with.

As for unused wires, tape each one off individually, and then tape them into the harness so that they are not flopping all over. These should be taped individually so that there is no chance that the bare wire ends will short to each other in the harness.
Click to expand...

overkill.

use butt connectors. quick crimps and be done with it. Its just a wiring harness in a car.
 
i've done factory repairs on cars with heat shrunk butt connectors (they don't want you soldering wires used for serial communication, though i'm sure you could). they're pretty reliable. i would wrap the harness when done to avoid snags (cloth harness tape is great), though shrinking them probably avoids this issue and they take up a lot less space.
 
thanks to all for the suggestions!

i would have done soldering (even the Crutchfield instructions recommend it) but i don't have time to learn it right now and since it's my first time i don't want to screw up by soldering the wrong wires.

i'll definitely make sure to tape off each wire individually and stick it to the harness.
what's the difference between switched and constant +12v?

i have an RJ-45 crimper but i don't think that's gonna work. OK, off to Sears to find some crimpers and butt connectors.
 
Originally posted by: chipy
thanks to all for the suggestions!

i would have done soldering (even the Crutchfield instructions recommend it) but i don't have time to learn it right now and since it's my first time i don't want to screw up by soldering the wrong wires.

i'll definitely make sure to tape off each wire individually and stick it to the harness.
what's the difference between switched and constant +12v?

i have an RJ-45 crimper but i don't think that's gonna work. OK, off to Sears to find some crimpers and butt connectors.
Click to expand...

Switched +12v will be a red wire. Has power only when ignition is turned on.
Constant +12v will be yellow, and is always powered. This is used to retain radio presets, sound settings, the clock, etc.
 
thanks Black88GTA.

i just opened up the whole console area and noticed 2 things:

1) i need a torx tool t25 (i have another size one that doesn't fit)

2) i see the wiring harness the factory used and it goes from the back of the stereo and disappears into the back of the console area... i can't see where it's connected to. this is not good... i'm probably going to end up taking it to the auto hobby shop and having one of the guys there help me out.

thanks for all your help. i'll be sure to post pics eventually.
 
don't you have a harness adapter? you should be attaching that to the headunit and plugging it in to your stock harness. there are porbably not any plugs past the one that goes into the back of your stock radio, as the wires start to seperate and run off to different places.

T25's are pretty common nowadays. never seen them on a japanese car, though, usually euros.
 
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